ZEST FOR LIFE

Koakoa’s limoncello is made from lemon peel (or orange for the orangecello), alcohol, water (or milk for the cream limoncello), and sugar (or mānuka honey for the honeycello).

The hand-peeled skin is bagged then submerged in whey-based alcohol and left in the tank. “It usually takes two to three months for the alcohol to take on the citrus oils,” says Bec. “If the skins have become hard, and the alcohol smells lemony, the oil is out.” The 95 per cent-proof lemony alcohol then sits in holding tanks for Bec to syphon off according to demand, dilute with ultra-filtered water, add sugar, stir, then bottle. Koakoa’s limoncello isn’t heated, and there are no added flavours or colours. “As a natural product, year-by-year our batches are slightly different because of the difference in the fruit oils. I try not to let the tanks get too low so I can blend to minimize variation,” says Bec.

Using a four-headed filler, Bec can complete up to 300 bottles a day. She brings in a helper to meet a particularly big order. But output is always limited by the filling. “My horror is not being able to meet an order and disappointing people, but so far we have kept up with demand,” she says.

The result is a bright zesty drink that begs for a frosty glass and a sunny day — or a tumbler and a cold night. “There are a couple of little trade secrets in the process, but primarily it’s the lemon singing the song,” says Chris. koakoa.nz